As we say hello to 2011, residents of Dubai will also say hello to higher water and electricity bills. Starting this month, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is raising fees by about 15 per cent. There will also be an extra fuel surcharge, displayed separately, that will change based on the authority's power generation costs. Consumers will be charged more during peak hours in an effort to ease demand when the cost of production is at its highest.
DEWA had no other viable option. It has to rely on imported fuel for much of the electricity it produces. Unlike Abu Dhabi, Dubai has no significant fossil fuel reserves to rely on for power generation. Dubai's total oil production is equivalent to roughly 2 per cent of that of Abu Dhabi. So as consumption goes up, so does DEWA's fuel bill.
And despite the global economic downturn, power and water usage in Dubai has not slowed down. This past summer, electricity demand in Dubai was 9.6 per cent higher than in the summer of 2009, with water demand jumping 5.9 per cent during the same period. The trend is expected to continue, with the research firm RNCOS anticipating that electricity demand in the UAE will rise by a compounded annual rate of 10 per cent until 2013.
More demand means more imports. Rather than burden the state coffers with more debt, Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy, under the astute leadership of its CEO, Nejib Zaafrani, made the sensible decision to share the burden with end-users.
At first sight, this may seem unfair. But is it? Even with the new pricing structure, Dubai's residential utility rates are still ranked below those of Britain, the United States, France, Germany or Japan. So by international standards, water and electricity in Dubai are still cheap.
Not surprisingly, Dubai has some of the highest levels of water and electricity consumption in the world. Per capita, UAE residents use 550 litres of water each day. This is the equivalent of every resident consuming more 1,000 small Masafi water bottles every day.
DEWA hopes that the new price structure will help encourage residents to conserve more and waste less. So what can you do to reduce your water and electricity consumption? There are simple steps like taking shorter showers and turning off the air conditioning before leaving the house. Beyond that, there are a handful of long-term changes that you can bring to your apartment or villa that will result in major energy (and economic) savings. Here are four easy steps:
Turn your refrigerator down. Refrigerators account for about 20 per cent of household electricity use. Most refrigerator temperature settings are labeled 1-5 or 1-9, with freezers sometimes labeled A-E. The best setting is usually around 3 and 4. If your settings are letters A-E, then B or C should be suitable.
The best way to check is by sticking a thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer. Your refrigerator should be around 3°C. Your freezer should be at zero. These adjustments will not only cut down on your electricity usage, they also help prevent the growth of bacteria and keep your food from spoiling.
Another major consumer of water and electricity in your home is the dishwasher. Make sure your dishwasher is full when you run it and use the energy saving setting if available to allow the dishes to air dry. You can also turn off the drying cycle manually. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 per cent of your dishwasher's total electricity use, which means lower utility bills.
Phase out conventional light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Although they cost more, they save money in the long run by using only a quarter the energy of an ordinary incandescent bulb and last eight to 12 times longer. They provide an equivalent amount of bright, attractive light. Only 10 per cent of the energy consumed by a normal light bulb generates light; the rest just makes the bulb heat up. And the last thing we need in Dubai is more heat.
For those who have a garden, there are simple ways to cut down on water and electricity usage. Other than installing an irrigation system instead of manually watering your grass, you should consider planting desert-friendly trees that provide good shade. One example is the ever-present date palm. Another option is the Afghan pine, a relatively fast-growing tree that can reach 20 metres high and 10 metres wide, while requiring very little water. Reductions in energy use resulting from shade trees will save money and, as an added bonus, your tree will directly absorb about 12 kilograms of carbon dioxide from the air annually.
By adopting these measures you would be taking a big step towards lowering your monthly utility bill. It's worth remembering that whenever you save energy, you also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, which is the primary cause of global warming. So by cutting down on your consumption, you are not only helping your bank account but also Mother Nature.
Vahid Fotuhi is an energy and environment commentator based in Dubai
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
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Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
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Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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Rating: 4.5/5
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